Island



UNITED STATES ATENT, OFFICE.-

GEORGE E. A. KNIGHT, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

PLATED WIRE.

PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,750, dated October6, 1891.

Application filed January 12, 1891. Serial No. 377,485. (No model.)

I of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Plated Wire; and I herebydeclare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of thesame, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification.

This invention has reference to an improve-' ment in the manufacture ofjewelers plated, solid, or tubular wire; and it consists in the peculiarand novel steps, as hereinafter more fully described, by which a wire ortube is covered by precious metals of two or more colors.

In carrying out my invention I form a disk of precious metals of two ormore colors, or I plate a disk of inferior metal with precious metals oftwo or more colors, so that the line or lines forming the adjunction ofthe plates of precious metals of different colors extend through orradiate from the center of the disk. I now form the disk, by suitabledies, into a conical tube, clean the interior of the so formed tube, anddraw the same over a tube or rod covered with solder and secure theplatingtube to the'core by heat sufficient to fuse the solder, formingan ingot, which may be drawn or rolled into wire of any desiredcross-section.

Figure 1 is a plan view and an edge view of a disk formed of six conicalsections of precious metals differing in color. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsectional view of the conical tube, formed from the disk shown in Fig.1, ready for being drawn on the core of inferior metal indicated inbroken lines. Fig. 3 represents two end views of wire indicating theuses to which the longit-udinally-striped plated wire may be put. Fig. 4is a perspective view of twisted striped wire.

In the drawings, 5 indicates a circular disk,

in the center of which a hole may be punched,

as shown, or this hole maybe omitted. The disk may be formed bysoldering or fusing the edges of the conical sections 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,and 11 together, so as to form a disk of precious metal formed ofsections of different-colored precious metal. The disk 5 may also beformed by plating a disk of inferior metal with sections of preciousmetal, and

.it may be made up of sections of jewelers stock-platethat is to say, ofsheets of brass or other inferior metal plated on one side with preciousmetals of different colorsand these sections may be secured to a disk ofeasier-flowing metal, which, when drawn on the prepared core, will formthe solder. In preparing the disk it is essential that the edges of thedifferent-colored precious metals shall form lines radiating from thecenter of the disk. The disk 5 is now formed by means of suitable diesinto the conical tube12, into the contracted end of which the core 13 isforced. If the disk5 has the side which forms the inner side of theconical tube 12 covered with'a sheet of easier-flowing metal to form thesolder, the core 13 requires only to be cleaned and covered with asuitable flux. If, on the contrary, the disk is not covered with solder,the core must be covered with solder and the inner surface of theconical tube must be cleaned and covered with flux. The contracted endof the conicaltube 12, with the core'l3, is now inserted into the holeof a draw-plate and the tube is drawn onto the core, so as to form aningot of uniform crosssection. The ingot is now subjected to heatsufficient to melt the solder, and is then drawn or rolled into thedesired wire.

The disk 5, formed of or plated with the six conical sectionsofpreciousmetals of different colors, is Well adapted to form the rod or wire 14,(shown in Fig. 3,) each of the six sides of which may thus be platedwith precious metals of different colors, or-each of the adjacent sidesmay be plated with precious metals of alternating colors.

iVhen the disk is formed into a conical tube and when this conical tubeis drawn or rolled into a tube of uniform cross-section to form theingot, each one ofthe conical sections 6, 7, S, 9, 10, and 11 iscontracted in width and extended in length, so that on the ingot and onthe wire formed from the ingot these sections form longitudinal stripesof uniform width and of different colors.

A disk formed of two equal halves of different colors will form a rod orwire of any desired cross-section, one-half of the surface of which willdiffer in color from the other half. If the disk is formed of four equalsections, the resultant rod, tube, or wire will have a surface formed offour longitudinal stripes of different colors, and it rolled or drawninto square wire each side of the square may be of a different color, orof alternately different colors. It the disk is formed of three equalsections of diflferent colors, the ingot may be rolled or drawn into therod or Wire 15, (shown in Fig. 3,) of clover-leaf crosssection, each oneof the three beads or leaves being plated with precious metal of adifferent color.

The solid or tubular wire covered or plated with thelongitudinally-striped precious metal may be twisted, so as to form thespirallystriped tube or wire 16. (Shown in Fig. at.)

The sections 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, instead of being each of adistinctly different color-- such as red, white, blue, yellow, black,and green1nay be made of diiferent shades of a color or colors.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. The herein-described steps in. the art of platingwire, rods, or tubes, the same consisting in forming a disk of orplating a disk with two or more sections of precious metal of differentcolors and forming the disk into a plating-tube, as described.

2. The process herein described of plating wire, rods, or tubes, thesame consisting in forming a disk of or plating a disk with two or moresections of precious metal diflering in color, covering one side of thedisk or the outside of the core with a solder, forming the disk into aconical plating-tube, drawing the tube over the core, and uniting thecore and tube by fusing the solder, as described.

3. Anew article of manufacture consisting of a core of inferior metalplated with precious metal in longitudinal stripes of different colorsor shades of colors drawn or rolled into any desired form ofcross-section.

GEORGE E. A. KNIGHT.

Witnesses:

M. F. BLIGH, J. A. MILLER, Jr.

